Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi on Thursday suggested that Congress ought to take legislative action to address the scandal-plagued Department of Veterans Affairs.

The California Democrat called the "allegations of misconduct" at the VA — charges that the department manipulated wait times for veterans seeking medical attention — "completely and utterly unacceptable."

But she defended President Barack Obama and declined to specifically implicate VA Secretary Eric Shinseki, calling instead for a comprehensive investigation into the allegations and for the Veterans' Affairs committees in the House and Senate to explore broad overhauls of the agency's operational structure.